American Suburbs Are a Horror Movie and We’re the Protagonists

Walking alone to the grocery store is, for me, like walking through a creepy hallway at night. Why? Because America is filled with liminal spaces.

Neighborhood Design, Suburban Experiment, Walkability, Top Story, ShayestehShina ShayestehJanuary 13, 2022walkability, Pedestrian Safety, pedestrian safety, #PedestrianUnfriendly, pedestrians, Safety, Texas, Austin, suburban development pattern, suburban experiment, psychology, Psychology

Renderings vs. Reality: A Roundup of 2021s Most Egregious Development Illustrations

If a picture can say a thousand words, it can probably also tell at least 100 lies—as demonstrated by these development projects that did not turn out as promised.

Fisher, Transportation, Urban Design, Walkability, Top StoryLauren FisherJanuary 10, 2022urban design, #PedestrianUnfriendly, pedestrian crossing, Diverging Diamond, intersections, pedestrians, Pedestrian Safety, pedestrian safety, design, walkability

Designing Streets with the Human Mind in Mind

Humans are messy, complicated, and unpredictable: why doesn’t our street design account for that?

Engineering Profession, Pattison, Walkability, #SlowtheCars, Top StoryJohn PattisonOctober 14, 2021pedestrian safety, pedestrians, pedestrian crossing, #SlowTheCars, Springfield, risk, engineering profession, traffic engineering

Traffic Deaths Aren't "Meant to Be"

Our broken transportation system wasn’t pre-ordained; it was built out of the choices we’ve made. And we need to start making better ones if we want to fix it.

#SlowtheCars, Member Post, Roads and Streets, Transportation, Top StoryMichel Durand-WoodOctober 4, 2021Safety, Pedestrian Safety, pedestrian safety, STROADS, Street Design, streets, canada, Canada, Winnipeg, transportation, #SlowTheCars

Are Traffic Engineers Sociopaths?

Why is it that traffic engineers seem to value the flow of cars over human lives and safety? Are they just sociopaths?

"Improvements"

So many engineering projects are formally called "improvements." The subtle bias of this language provides a glimpse at the values embedded within the profession.

Pedestrian Deaths Are Up 45% in the Last Decade. When Is Enough Enough?

America is in the midst of an unrelenting crisis. And it’s happening on our roadways.

#SlowtheCars, Roads and Streets, Top Story 2, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesMarch 12, 2021Pedestrian Safety, pedestrian safety, Florida, Smart Growth America, #SlowTheCars, STROADS

The Most Important Pedestrian Safety Document You've Never Heard Of

Engineers and transportation departments defer to it all the time, but “the Manual” isn’t actually making our streets safer.

Roads and Streets, #SlowtheCars, Top StoryAngie Schmitt & Mike McGinnFebruary 25, 2021pedestrian safety, pedestrians, MUTCD, Street Design, America Walks, Mike McGinn, Angie Schmitt, #SlowTheCars

This Will Change How You Hear Traffic Reports

The grim truths hidden in the daily traffic reports.

#SlowtheCars, Herriges, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesFebruary 10, 2021pedestrian safety, STROADS, traffic engineering

Best of 2020: An Ordinary Intersection

An accidental photo essay courtesy of Street View provides us a look at the appallingly low standard for what we expect people who walk in suburbia to put up with.

Herriges, #SlowtheCars, Walkability, Best of Blog, Top Story 2Daniel HerrigesDecember 17, 2020walkability, #SlowTheCars, safety, pedestrian safety, Orlando, Florida, Best of 2020

Lo mejor de 2020: Una intersección ordinaria

Un ensayo fotográfico accidental, cortesía de Street View, nos proporciona una mirada al nivel espantosamente bajo de lo que esperamos que aguanten las personas que caminan por los suburbios.

Herriges, #SlowtheCars, Walkability, Best of Blog, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesDecember 17, 2020walkability, #SlowTheCars, safety, pedestrian safety, Orlando, Florida, Best of 2020

Taking Pedestrian Safety Into Our Own Hands

The feds don’t have serious solutions to the problem of pedestrian safety. It’s up to us to take action right where we are.

Top Story, Walkability, #SlowtheCarsJohn PattisonOctober 20, 2020pedestrian safety, #SlowTheCars, NHTSA, Transportation For America, Joe Cortright

Now Is the Time to End Traffic Fatalities. Here's a Simple Plan to Do It.

We’ve engineered our streets for high performance when we should be engineering them for safety. Now’s the time to unwind the mess. Here’s how to do it.

#SlowtheCars, Roads and Streets, Top StoryCharles MarohnAugust 24, 2020pedestrian safety, vision zero, #SlowTheCars, traffic engineering

Slowing the Cars in Austin

A new ordinance in Austin is trying to slow drivers and protect pedestrians. But does the city’s plan go far enough in addressing a key factor in creating safer streets: street design?

Top Story, #SlowtheCars, Roads and StreetsGabe ColomboAugust 18, 2020pedestrian safety, #SlowTheCars, Austin, Street Design

Diverging Diamonds: Still Not the Pedestrian's Best Friend

Diverging diamonds are forever, apparently. But don’t say they’re for pedestrians.

Walkability, MarohnCharles MarohnJune 15, 2020Diverging Diamond, pedestrian safety

An Ordinary Intersection

An accidental photo essay courtesy of Street View provides us a look at the appallingly low standard for what we expect people who walk in suburbia to put up with.

Herriges, #SlowtheCars, Walkability, Top StoryDaniel HerrigesFebruary 4, 2020walkability, #SlowTheCars, safety, pedestrian safety, Orlando, Florida

Cyclists are somehow both “vehicles” and “pedestrians.” This ambiguous status puts lives at risk.

How do we make cyclists safer? Put more of them on the road.

Bikeability, Top StoryGreg WalkerJanuary 30, 2020bikeability, pedestrian safety, bike infrastructure

Off-duty police officer, mother of 2, killed helping elderly woman cross the street. Just another pedestrian killed.

We’ve long accepted a base level of carnage on our streets. But we should stop describing these as random “accidents.” They are the inevitable outcome of our chosen approach to building cities.

#SlowtheCars, #NoNewRoads, Walkability, Top StoryCharles MarohnJanuary 16, 2020pedestrian safety, STROADS, safety, auto-oriented, walkability

The Federal Government Should Stop Victim-Shaming Walkers

If the NHTSA wants to save lives, prevent injuries, and reduce vehicle-related crashes, they should stop blaming people who are walking when they are killed and injured by drivers.

#SlowtheCars, Marohn, Top Story, WalkabilityCharles MarohnJanuary 8, 2020NHTSA, #SlowTheCars, pedestrian safety, walkability

Why Do Americans View Zero Road Deaths as an Impossible Goal?

Vision Zero is a simple engineering problem, but a wickedly complex social and institutional problem—at least in America’s car-dependent cities. Success in Norway shows us what the way forward looks like.

Herriges, Roads and Streets, #SlowtheCarsDaniel HerrigesJanuary 6, 2020Europe, Norway, Oslo, vision zero, #SlowTheCars, pedestrian safety, walkability

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